- Microsoft has failed to find its footing in the industry after its success with the Xbox 360.
- The Xbox One proved to be a huge failure, and the Series S|X seem to be following suit.
- Microsoft’s recent decisions indicate that its console business may cease to exist if things don’t change.
Microsoft entered the console market over two decades ago. As a fresh competitor that brought experience from the software side, it showed plenty of promise. However, it’s no secret that Xbox has always been one step behind the rest.
This was not the case with the Xbox 360, but one victory out of four attempts is hardly something to write home about. Meanwhile, PlayStation and Nintendo have constantly gone back and forth after recovering from major losses.
Until recently, Microsoft lacked a solid first-party lineup. However, even with the current slate of games at its disposal, the gaming giant is now going third-party. In my opinion, the Xbox brand can’t afford to take another hit.
Why it matters: Xbox seems to be at a point of no return, and Microsoft has shown little interest in reviving its hardware business. At this point, the gaming giant may have just one more hardware release left for the fans.
Xbox Has Already Lost Twice In A Row
Let’s reflect on recent console generations from Nintendo and PlayStation. In the former’s case, the Wii U was the biggest letdown. For PlayStation, the PS3 became its biggest setback and remains an example of Sony’s hubris.
In both cases, there’s a common trend. Both gaming giants had just seen massive success in their previous generations. This highlights that one failure after a huge success is far from rare in the industry.
However, what’s also common here is that both PlayStation and Nintendo managed to bounce back in spectacular fashion. The Switch has sold millions of units today, and the PS4 is still going strong.
The same cannot be said for Xbox. After it dominated the industry with the Xbox 360, Microsoft made a few mistakes in 2013. Over a decade later, it seems the gaming giant still lives in the shadow of that misstep.
The Xbox Series S|X, while very powerful, are on track to perform even worse than the Xbox One. Reflect on history, and you’ll think of games like Fable, Gears of War, Forza Horizon, Halo 3, and a lot more in Xbox’s lineup.
This solid lineup helped Microsoft’s biggest console reach 84 million sales, which was no small feat. The same spark has been missing in the gaming business currently, even though things are looking better after the recent showcase.
This Generation Has Not Lived Up To Its Potential
The Xbox Series S|X have not turned out anywhere near as great as anticipated. For starters, the budget Xbox Series S has failed to live up to its potential, becoming well known for holding various games back.
On the other end, the Xbox Series X is falling behind the competition. Not only the PS5 but this generation of Microsoft hardware is currently tracking behind the Xbox One, which should be a clear indication of things going very wrong.
Recent first-party titles like Redfall have not been that great, and Starfield has not been the biggest hit Xbox wanted. Moreover, the gaming giant has shut down talented teams like Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks.
Halo Infinite has also turned out to be yet another disappointment. For all the promises Microsoft made in 2020, barely any of them have been fulfilled four years into the generation.
Xbox is clearly no longer cut out for the hardware market, making another potential loss a huge deal.
Xbox’s Future In The Market
Not too long ago, Peter Moore hinted that Xbox may eventually leave the hardware market. However, as Matt Booty puts it, the gaming giant is finally beginning to hit its stride. This may be the light at the end of the tunnel.
Following its latest showcase, Xbox finally has a major first-party lineup. This is great, but the gaming giant is giving people even fewer reasons to buy its hardware.
Big games like Doom: The Dark Ages are coming to the PS5, and even more titles are planned to go multiplatform. At this point, what does Xbox do that PlayStation or Nintendo can’t?
The only good thing that happened to Xbox over the last few years was Game Pass, and since its growth has also stalled, I see no way for Microsoft to grow console sales. The industry needs more competition, and I don’t want to see Xbox becoming similar to a publisher like Sega in the future. However, if the next Xbox console fails, this is inevitable.
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